Your basic idea is good, but the advice/details are way off. Specifically those small wires you're splicing are probably 18 or 20 gauge (larger numbers mean smaller wires). Recommending a 10-12 gauge (yellow) butt splice is wrong. Those crimp connectors are color-coded based on the size of the wire, red is 18-22ga, blue is 14-16ga and yellow is 10-12ga. For this job, RED connectors would be ideal.
I fix 10-12 sets each year, either from dead bulbs or busted wires. Speaking of moisture protection, are you concerned about the led keeper puncturing all those tiny holes in the wires? Its definitely crossed my mind since I've seen many times what a wire puncture can do to car wiring. That's my go to method for wire repairs except I use the pink connectors and a dedicated crimping tool, far better than that crimper in those strippers.
Hey there, Scott. I'm not worried about the puncture. The plastic is meant to self-heal. I asked that question to a light company and to Ulta-Lit last year and to they said the same thing. So, after fixing lights on a few strings, I went back and looked at the wire and couldn't find that holes a day or two later.
So far I have about 40% of my Christmas lights up and I did about 10 sets I needed to fix my dad comes in handy my dad usually fixes most of them for me I give him them and while he's watching TV he fixes them
Glad to hear the tulip lights fix worked for you! Sometimes a simple solution like black tape can do wonders. And I'm thrilled you liked the Christmas background-it's all about spreading that festive cheer! Wishing you a fantastic New Year filled with joy and bright moments!
I don't see it mentioned here right off, but it seems other videos have noted that the net or string is designed so that the mains voltage divided by the total number of lights in series comes out to the low level AC voltage those bulbs are made to handle (a couple volts). There was a warning that allowing the modern "shunt equipped" bulbs to stay in the chain after they burn out would effectively bypass the dead bulb and bump up the individual voltages on the remaining live ones, possibly burning out more of them and further increasing the voltages. Wouldn't removing one and splicing the line have the same effect?
For incandescent bulbs? Yes. I just interviewed John DeCosmo about this topic. John is the inventor of the Keeper repair tools for lights: ru-vid.com_O-9UtqxqzM?si=ZVsADGy-kAOQ6FTg In the video he mentions that strings are designed to last only a few seasons. The states that once one bulb is bad there is a chain reaction where the likelihood of other failures greatly increases.
Fair enough, David. After reading your comment, I rewatched this and I agree. I'll release a more precise version and just show the fix for the problem. Thanks for letting me know.
That's a unique problem, Amanda. The solution would be to strip them back a 1/2 inch or so to the copper , Then simply touch the wires to one another until you find the correct combo that illuminates the lights. Then permanently connect them. With that said, you should be able to visually see the pattern but if it is too mangled, use the touch test method. I hope that helps.
I spend hours fixing lights. I do have a device that finds the dead bulb for me. However I want to know how to fix strands that are torn (aka wire broken) . We have tall trees that the lights are hard to remove from and the lights get torn during the removal process. Of course the trees have 400 lights strings on them which are the most expensive. He sent why I’m watching this. Ironically have all these supplies already.
That's ironic that you mention fixing already hung lights. I had some roofline C7 greens go out on me last weekend. I had to MacGuyver a way to find the bad bulb without removing all five colors from the roof. After some thought, I came up with a super easy fix. I went to record a video on it Monday but my neighbor decided to build a new deck next to me so the noise prevented it. So, that will be forthcoming. For fixing already hung severed wires, you likely can't use a heat shrink method due to the fire hazard of the tree and danger of damaging other cords. So, you'll likely have to strip back the wire, use a wire nut, electrical tape, then duct tape. That will bring the lights back to life for the season. You can permanently fix them in the off season.
Hello, Maria and happy holidays to you. I just interviewed John DeCosmo, the inventor of the LED Keeper: ru-vid.com_O-9UtqxqzM?si=HopCwlSeLzBFKKgv I asked him this same question. He educated me that lights with control boxes and pre-lit trees are not designed to be fixable and normally fail within 1 year. With that said, one option that works out about 70% of the time is to contact the manufacture. A lot of times the lights are under a warranty that you didn't know they had! You do want to make sure that the string is actually carrying power to the bulb's though. You can either use a voltage detector or a multimeter and see if the string is carrying power but just not illuminating. If you don't have either tool, you can test the lights by daisy-chaining another light set to it. If that set lights up, then you know the "bad" string has power but isn't lighting. Lastly, an option is to check to see if the box has a reset button. Many times owners aren't aware of the reset option or there are fuses in the box that need to be checked or replaced. You can check fuses with this tool: amzn.to/3t3HcaJ The LED Keeper is my go-to light tool!
@ChristmasOnCrestline Thank you so much for your quick response. I will try all your suggestions to see if I can get them to work. Once again, thank you.
This is fantastic. Thanks so much for doing this. Love the wire stripper recommendations. I've been using the same couple of cheap ones for 30 years. These are easier. Came looking for a similar video but for soldering outdoor Christmas light yard art (Santa on a roller coaster with a few light and sound effects) to an old transformer (really just need the wire connector cap but the 10-12 gauge mentioned in the video helped with this!). I'll keep looking. Hopefully you have one! Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
I'm thrilled you like this video, Chris. I use this method at least 10 times each season. Kansas wildlife loves to munch on these lights for some reason! We do have one soldering video but it is angled towards using soldering as a method of repurposing light strings as extension cords. You can find that video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wA_U1QsaDeU.htmlsi=g_WYsQmlg4u1iFIz The soldering comes in about the 4:00 mark or so.
This will make a great gift package for my uncle. He hangs lights like you do and always complains about broken lights. Thanks so much for the gift idea and the links!!🎁🎄👍
I fix 15-20 sets per year, whenever I have a broken socket or wire between sockets I just take parts from a scrap set and replace the socket or broken wire by pushing out the brass contact barb from the sockets and inserting the wire with contacts from the scrap set, I do this with both incandescent and LED sets. I have also added extra sockets in incandescent sets so I can lower the voltage on the bulbs and make them last longer or if I just need a few extra bulb to complete a garland. It may take a little extra time, but it retains the insulation of all the wires in the lights and you don't loose any bulbs
That's a really smart idea, JM. Putting strain on the lights is what causes a lot of burn outs. I bet lowering the voltage does help with their longevity.
We fix around 7 sets a year but we don't have a ton of lights either. Thanks for the links too, saves me from hunting for the connectors. Excellent tutorial 🛠🎅
It's funny the thing used to fix the Christmas trees the light fixture I watched your video I went to Home Depot I'm walking in the parking lot the next day after your video and guess what I found somebody left in that cost so I actually got it for free
@@ChristmasOnCrestline I feel bad cuz I wish I would have known who the person is but I've known people who brought stuff back that they found in the carts into the store and the people go back to the store and they still don't get their item usually the person that works in the store just keeps the item that's why I kept it
This is so cool!!! Thanks for this video today. I was literally going to go out to Menards today to see what kits exist to fix my lights and now I know that I can do this instead. We always have to fix a dozen or so lights from the squirrels that love to snack on our holiday lights. Cheers!
Glad it was helpful! I'm not aware of any repair kits that exist at the stores. But...that's a great idea. Squirrels are the enemy of Christmas lights lol.
Does this work for both incandescent and led. The light keep tool says you must have a resistor like in the pod when you remove a socket and connect the wires together
No, this only works for LED strings. They mention the rectifier as only LED strings have those. For in candescent lights we have to use the LIght Keeper Pro. Here are two videos showing this tool: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4vYBVp4m9dY.htmlsi=WHQp44LVjg0jm5zd ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tV0FepnwZuc.htmlsi=93bXS9wX68wCDk_m and here is the tool itself: amzn.to/47Xdmnh I hope this helps!
I just started a Christmas Tree Repair business and your video was just what I needed to see. Now I can finish pulling out burnt out lights an putting in new ones only 900 light to change. (Green Holiday Tree Lighting Company) Interior Christmas Tree replacing lights and stripping of lights.
What if there are 3 wires? I have a set of purple led from Halloween they're so much prettier than the purple Christmas version (idk why) but they separated at the fuse...
You're right. Halloween purples seem to pop more for some reason. Three wires can be tricky but can usually be done if you bypass that three wired bulb. If that is the bad bulb, cut it out, and fuse the next bulb to the string with shrink tube. That will save the string for you.
Question, so I have a set of lights where the last section isn't working, so I took my Lowes version of led keeper and hooked it up and I managed to get all of the lights to work via the tool but only on each side of what I believe is called a current limiting pod if I put tool on 1 side it lights up all lights on that side if I do it on the other side it lights all the lights on that side. But when I plugin that section won't work. Can I repair that?
Hello, Jerry. I spent about several hours repairing LEDs with my LED Keeper yesterday. I think you're describing what happened to me on a few strings. I had five or so strings that had a corroded light socket. I removed that socket, heat shrinked the wires back together, and they all worked just fine. The trick is to utilize a flashlight. When everything seems like they should function but doesn't, use a flashlight to check the inside of the bad bulbs socket, often times you'll find corrosion and all is well by simply removing it.
I stapled through my new patio string lights and was completely devastated. Deff going to try this, since my lights were NOT cheap and it would be a shame to throw them out
This is a handy trick, Alexandra. I the past, used a wire nut and electric tape but this is the much better option. Plus, this looks alot cleaner compared to the bright orange wire nuts!
Hey there. Good to see you. I think with everyone's lights still sitting in the Pacific Ocean, this will be a huge year for repairing broken Christmas lights! Sounds like you save yourself $100+ every year
Actually you fix it in just the same manner. Here is another example: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wA_U1QsaDeU.htmlsi=IrUv0Lrkn0fNhbSN Fair warning though. This is an older video and we talked...a lot back then. But, this shows removing the end and soldering them onto the cord to make a short cord. Now, we heat shrink everything.
do anyone know how to light up one or two bulb ? I tried with a 3VAC for one and two bulbs NOGO. If you multiply 2.5 volts by 48, you get 120 volts, and originally, that's how many bulbs the strands has. We must remember this is AC not DC .. so in theory 3.5 volt AC should light up one bulb unless requires 120V and dividing is not possible. all bulbs are different...some LED's and some incandescent bulb.More than like is that bulb
Hey there, Supernova. To light up a single Christmas light bulb, first identify whether it's incandescent or LED and its voltage requirement. For an incandescent bulb from a 120V strand with 50 bulbs, it likely needs around 2.4V AC, so a 3V AC source should work. For LED bulbs, ensure you match the specific voltage and use the correct AC or DC power source. LEDs often have built-in resistors and might require a specific voltage, usually lower than the strand’s total voltage divided by the number of bulbs. Always check the bulb specifications before applying power to avoid damage. I hope that answers your question.
Thank you for this and for the product links! I went to put lights up but something got to them and chewed through several wires and I can't remember where I bought them to color match the rest. So, I need to fix them and this video saves the day!
What if the wires look fine, but the light stops working? I clipped all 3 wires and put them together with a connector. It did not work and I'm at a loss.
Hello. Tia. One thing that sometimes happens but most folks don't know to look for is the wires will be positive or negative and the positive wire will have teeny tiny white lettering. That lettering signifies it's the positive. You might check that you have the wires correctly connected positive to positive. I mention that because I'm assuming that you've used the LA D keeper to test that the lads are OK?
Sorry, I was in the middle of writing that and my phone rang and it hit send for some reason. I'm guessing that you tested the lights and that they are all functioning bulbs?
I fix exactly ZERO Christmas lights per year but 2022 is my year! I've got a prelit tree (incandescent) with a melted bulb socket. One wire going into it has current, the other does not. The bulb that follows that "dead" wire lights up when I remove it and test it. Can you tell me if I can just use this technique to get rid of the melted socket?
You should be able to, yes, Janice. Although, I would add that most pre-lit trees are not designed to be fixed. But if you have a melted socket, it needs to go away and this method should work for you just fine.
@@ChristmasOnCrestline Thanks! I’m going to try this out. Just bought the damn thing a year ago and never registered it, so no luck on the 2 year warranty.
Do you have any videos on how you fix a Christmas tree the ones that have the lights all connected on the branches I have one set I remember from last year out I didn't put the Christmas tree up yet but I can't even check it section-by-section because the whole tree has to be plugged in together is there an easy way you know of the check that because there's no wires the wires are all in this stem in that stick that goes down the middle
I don't have any videos on it, Rob. I don't own a pre-lit tree so I don't have any experience with it. If you are talking about a Twinkly Tree, those use fiber optic lights which, if memory serves, can't be replaced. If they are incandescent lights, Ulta-Lit has a video on that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xrXRxOIjVm0.html
This is amazing! Our tree lights just broke just like that and this is gonna save us so much 💗 what is the tool called that you used to strip the green plastic off the wire?
I'm way ahead of ya, Star. You watched the long video that is meant for the folks that tune in each week. Here is the video condensed video that gets on with it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DXWullu2FTk.html I hope you're able to fix your lights!
I have lights in a lighted train that somehow have wires cut, but when stripping them, the inside isn't electrical wire, but rather a fiber optic looking material. Are these fixable or do i just need to throw it out?
I would imagine you have some rogue squirrels on your property. That is my most common cause of mysteriously cut strings. I've not heard of fibers in a light string. I presume this is not a normal LED set of lights. I would say to test them and find out. I would use a wire twist to connect these fibers and see if they transmit power and illuminate the lights. I hope these work out for you!
@Christmas on Crestline after commenting, I plugged it in and got to work. I have no idea what that wire does. I was able to get almost all the lights lit. Those wires are in more than one area and the lights that don't light after replacing many bulbs are one strand, so that wire must not affect function. I am using the train as it is. I am probably the only one that will know they aren't lit
@@harvestingharrolds1086 That's a fair point most of us don't realize, HH. We see what we consider to be flawed while the audience only sees the wonder of the lights.
You probably don't need this info after all this time, but if somebody else does, I think the one you're describing is just a "support wire" some of the other videos mention, which is simply there to strengthen the net or help it hold its form. No actual wire is inside it.
Oh no! Dealing with a dog-chewed Christmas light strand is tricky, but here's a quick fix for the four wires. Sometimes, the wires in a Christmas light strand are color-coded. Commonly, there are two wires for power (usually one is hot and the other neutral), one for ground, and one for data (for programmable lights). Identify which wire is which. If there's visible damage, match the corresponding wires by color. Twist together the corresponding wires - power to power, ground to ground, etc. Use soldering or heat shrinking to secure the twisted wires. Or, if you use wire connectors, make sure they are suitable for outdoor use! Test the Lights! Before reinstalling the strand, plug it in and test the lights to ensure that the repaired section is working correctly. If the damage is extensive, and the wires are significantly frayed, you might need to consider trimming the damaged portion and splicing in a new section of wire. Remember to prioritize safety, and if you're uncomfortable with the repair, it's always a good idea to seek assistance from someone experienced with electrical work. I hope this helps, and good luck with fixing your lights! Let me know how it goes!
@@ChristmasOnCrestline this is the terminal end of the strand. I’m not trying to splice two wires back together. The wires are all green coated. No lines or dots on coating to differentiate
Hello, Paul. We use the timeline chapters in this video to avoid wasting folks time. They allow you to jump right to the part you are wanting to watch.
I spend hours fixing lights. I do have a device that finds the dead bulb for me. However I want to know how to fix strands that are torn (aka wire broken) . We have tall trees that the lights are hard to remove from and the lights get torn during the removal process. Of course the trees have 400 lights strings on them which are the most expensive. He sent why I’m watching this. Ironically have all these supplies already.
That's ironic that you mention fixing already hung lights. I had some roofline C7 greens go out on me last weekend. I had to MacGuyver a way to find the bad bulb without removing all five colors from the roof. After some thought, I came up with a super easy fix. I went to record a video on it Monday but my neighbor decided to build a new deck next to me so the noise prevented it. So, that will be forthcoming. For fixing already hung severed wires, you likely can't use a heat shrink method due to the fire hazard of the tree and danger of damaging other cords. So, you'll likely have to strip back the wire, use a wire nut, electrical tape, then duct tape. That will bring the lights back to life for the season. You can permanently fix them in the off season..
Actually, its at 4:54, Troy. That's why I provide timeline chapters for folks to jump ahead. You must have missed those while you were waiting patiently.
Sometimes, you might need a magnifying glass or use your phone and zoom in. But one of the wires will have tiny white writing on it, which makes it the positive wire. One wire will be positive, one will be a negative wire, and the 3rd wire will have the lights attached to it.
@@ChristmasOnCrestline thanks! i just came inside from doing this project. all went well except the heat gun singed a bit of the existing wire coating. probably ran it too hot. didn't look like copper wire was exposed but wrapped it in electrical tape. think that will be fine?
This video was a waste of time. I've in all my years never had this particular problem with this type of light. Also, these lights are 16-22 guage wire. A lot smaller than the connector he was using for the wire. Unsafe.
That's awesome, Jimmmy, that in all your years, you've never had a single wire be severed by squirrels. Whatever you are using to keep your light strings away from wildlife...patent that! Well done you. Merry Christmas.
Terrible advice. Never use a 10 - 12 gauge butt connector on a 16 gauge or smaller wire, no matter what you say. The only reason your wires may not have pulled out is only due to the heat shrink of the connector. A properly made electrical connection would be using the properly sized crimp connector for the wire gauge being repaired as in any and all electrical repairs. That's why there are different sized crimp connectors. You are a cobbler, giving uninformed advice to viewers which may cause the repair to fail, and require an additional proper fix using the correct connector for the wire gauge or size being repaired. I dare you to do a strong pull test on your crimped connection of the wires on these mini light sets with YOUR recommended 10 to 12 gauge connector BEFORE heat shrinking the connector. Because of my extensive experience with crimp connectors and how they work in both AC circuits and DC automotive circuits, I would put my money on that the connection will come apart. Your repair only covers a broken wire. These light sets have many more common failures which are due to burnt out bulbs, burnt out bulbs with bad shunts, blown fuses and faulty bulb sockets. To repair the most common failures of Christmas light sets, I recommend to all viewers to buy the LightKeeper Pro (for incandescent light sets) or the LED Keeper (for LED Light sets), which can be found at any Menards, Lowes, Walmart, Hobby Lobby or on Amazon. In all my years fixing Christmas lights, the only time I had a broken wire that caused the lights not to work was when animals chewed through the wire. There are many much better RU-vid videos for Christmas light set repairs, most of which use the LightKeeper Pro or the LED Keeper.
Thanks for watching, David. I also recommend to all viewers to use Ulta-Lit's Keeper products to fix bulb and shunt issues. The Keepers are amazing products. I have several videos on those tools as well. I think you skipped the part about this cut wire being a squirrel caused issue. Squirrels do love them some Christmas lights.
lmao his guy clearly has never watched one of the videos on this channel before. Dude, figure it out before you leave an uneducated comment. Your are a cobbler of a commenter and would be better served running for congress with the other schmucks who spew asinine remarks.
